EP Review: Marty – ‘Marty For President’

Disclaimer: All views presented in this review are those of the reviewer and not of DJ Wade-O.

Hip hop has really changed over the past decade or so. I remember in high school running to the music store as soon as I could to go buy the newest release. The only preview I had of the record was the music videos that were released prior to the album release. I would read album reviews before the release to get a feel for what the record would sound like. The album would be a minimum of 15 tracks and sometimes it would even reach 20.

Nowadays, things are very different. A lot of people don’t even buy whole records, they just cherry pick the songs they like. Most albums don’t stretch too far past 10 tracks. And the new trend seems to be just dropping a record without much advanced notice. There are a number of possible reasons for this change. Shorter attention spans from fans, a difference in the way fans consume music and social media are just some of the reasons.

No group has embraced what hip-hop is now like Social Club. They are monsters on social media. They have embraced the EP format of releasing projects. They stay independent and make the music that they think is good. This is a huge part of what has made Social Club so successful. Now the next step for the hugely popular duo is to give the fans solo projects. First up is Martymar and his newest project, Marty For President.

Marty released his solo project on September 11th to much fanfare and anticipation. And for good reason. This project is a very solid outing for Marty. Being a part of a group that is known for the fun they have makes it extremely hard to gain credibility as artists. But Marty For President provides some artistic credibility. In this review, we’ll give you a walk through of the project and all of the highs and lows.

“The One About the Misfit”
This track is nothing short of amazing. It is a perfect intro track because it answers any and all questions (or doubts) any listener may have about the record. It is also a clear picture of everything that Social Club has always stood for. Opening with the soft melody sets a serious tone for the track. The light drums let you know that this track is going to be epic. By the time Marty starts rapping, the listener is about to burst from anticipation.

Another great thing about this track is that Marty goes off a little on it. He really raps on “The One About the Misfit”. It’s not his awkward funny raps, but it’s his emotional serious bars and he provided some tough bars.

“I never lived by the compliments/27, unmarried and still living at my father’s place/I promise to take care of them when I get rich/ these record execs look like Harvey Dents.”

That’s just one of the quotables from his intro. You can vibe to this song and just throw it on repeat. It speaks to the soul of the listener the only way Marty can. It inspires, motivates and gives the listener a sense that someone else understands what they are going through. And that sentiment transitions directly into the next song.

“The One with the Villain”
The hard almost “trap” like production carries through to this track. You get hard bass and drums almost straight out of the gate. The beat is accompanied by Chris Baston’s perfect vocals. This track speaks perfectly to what Marty said once about his music, “emo raps over trap beats.” This record embodies that perfectly.

The idea of feeling like you’re good enough at what you do isn’t enough for people or even being ostracized or villainized for who you are, or what you do is something everyone deals with at some time. This track is all about that. Marty’s bars capture the mood and feel of that experience perfectly. It’s like he is truly speaking on behalf of everyone who has ever felt that way. This track is like the anthem for anyone who has ever felt like a villain.

“The One Where She Stayed”
It’s inevitable that this project would lighten up a little, and this is exactly where that happens. It’s a perfect mixture of Marty’s playful side and beautiful music. The production is much lighter than the previous tracks. His soft melody is what really sets the track on fire. The best part of the song has to be the content. For long time Social Club fans, this is the moment we have all been waiting for. After years of breakup songs and heartbreak, she has finally stayed. It is truly a beautiful song with an amazing hook. It’s the perfect love song for all the misfits because it is awkward, weird and most importantly heartfelt. Misfits will be singing this to their significant other for a long time to come.

“The One With My Friends”
This is the song every fan had circled when the tracklist came out. That type of anticipation is hard to live up to. But this track far surpasses any expectations that could have been placed on it. The beat alone is worth 4 or 5 replays. When the bass hits, you can’t stop your head from nodding. Marty’s classic intro sets the song off and each verse is a home run. This will be an introduction to a lot of fans to NF and wordsplayed, as they both make great first impressions. John Givez, Marty and FERN kill their verses. Even after 5 and half minutes, fans are wanting more and reaching to run this track back. As great as this project is up to this point, “The One With My Friends” is definitely the highlight.

“The One With the Vibes”
This is the part of the project that starts to lag. The first 4 tracks set an amazingly high bar, it was nearly impossible for this track to reach it. But just as a stand alone song, it misses the mark. The production sounded generic and the initially vocals didn’t seem to fit the production that well. Instead of rapping, Marty went the auto tune singing route and it just didn’t come together. This comes as a bit of a surprise because Marty rarely just misses on a track, but even the content is lost with all of the musical elements, that come off a little overwhelming for the listener. You can hear what he was going for on this track but it just didn’t come together.

“The One With All the Awkwardness (live)”
This track reads as a fun song. As soon as Marty starts talking on the intro you can’t help but smile and know that this song will be entertaining. It falls in line with the other “awkward” songs that Marty has done. It’s very literal. This song is awkward. Some people won’t like that because it’s fun and not serious, but fans of Marty will enjoy it. It’s and entertaining way to end the project. After having some heavy and gut wrenching moments, you got to have some fun on the way out and that’s what this track is about.

Overall, Marty For President is a really good EP. It has great production, good lyricism and heartfelt content. There is a tone of replay value and memorable moments. This a record that you can just listen to over and over again. It’s length aides to its replay value because it is an easy listen from start to finish. This is a great record for every misfit to have and a record that adds to Social Clubs already stellar resume.

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Aubrey McKay has a strong passion and love for CHH, and he uses that to write album reviews for Wadeoradio.com. He is a graduate of Southeastern University in Lakeland Florida. He currently resides in Lakeland and teaches middle school.
Twitter: @ajmckay24